The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-08-21
BIRTH RATE OF THE CITY.
Il STARTLING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
OFFICIAL FIGURES AND FACTS.


stotistieia- Magic snys that 1900 Babies
Get Away frsu, hit, Every Year-Doetors
Mar be Fined $50 for Every Ono Of Them.
Officially there are cost children born In
this city every week. According to all prece-
dent, rule. and regulation. based upon yards
Of figures and several slatesful Of addition.
subtraction, MULTIPLICATION, and division. DR..
Maggie. the head Of the figure bureau Of
the Health Department, says that q healthy
and properly conducted town Of this slze
ought to produce n crop OF not less
than thousand youngsters week. DR..
Magic Is forbidden officially to know anything
that Is not based on cold, hard foundation Of
figures, and therefore he reports that there
were 1919 births in this city In the last year.
Unoflcially. however. and in strictly In
formal way DR.. Magic will conflde to person
In whom no can trust his belief that there &C.
tually were not less than 10000. and possibly
over $4,000. babies born in New York In that
time. The odd $4,000 get away from him every
year. with the assistance and connivance OF
the doctors who offlciate at the inauguration
ceremonies. The Health Commissioners re-
ceived on Thursday q communication from Dr.
Magic calling attention TO this fact. and urging
that larger forcc Of clerks and others be pro-
vided to enforce the law regarding the report
President q tho si Board without setIen. " '
We get oil the deaths" said DR.. Maggie. be-
pern bt tSere s Dy brhs that
H. ssss sss Ply sl.5is SirtFs sssSsssS n %5s
1000. In asrmany Il Is ST. s and in England S.
q Sp The s g. H
tween preyious esnsuses TaE Sun ses ebert nor
than the department estimate. Thirty-two to
DamSer yn,eS New SS9 YORK
What we propose to do II We can get clerks
T. TO e. the Infer
ascertaintng the date Of its birth. look over our
record OF births and find out whether that
an investigation will be made. and the physi-
clan or other party who has violated the law
by TO Il T pc
first offence. a. fine, Of probably $50 would be
sort would show. the doctors that we meant
business and make them obey the law There
spg or On their
There are no fees or expense about this or any
other part Of the bureaus business, except the
which the fee barely covers the cost and goes
into the city Treasury"
Bureau OF Statistics, and Dr. Nage says that
they are SO indexed and nut away that any
%in1tes T6eir Value i Is great for in many in.
STANCES they form the only record OF births,
cases, pension NJ applications, and other iitiga-
ton. For those Of foreign origin who have
property or other interests abroad, transcripts
OF these records are necessary In almost every
German, widower couldn't marry o second
wife IN Faderland unless ne COULD produce a
this which aside from it's. pernicious effect
most culpable feature Of the, neglect OF the
whose children have inherited money from
relatives abroad. or who are otherwise in q
epsrena thai 81 s css h to e
bureau for a cory of the certificate which they
depended upon the doctor who attended at the
elected his business and the needed record Is
not attainable. II the doctor Ia living and get
at.able the matter can be remedied. but often
1t Ia past repai-. and great expense and annoy
ance are entailed.
1t, is probable that whether he gets moro
in this matter. DR.. Maggie has a soul for facts.
and 1t grieves him to have to report year after
year that there are 5000 more deaths than
on each block Is evident proof that the true
Tares. There are al least 5000 more Births
That = little scare goes a grea. way, among
1875, when the last spurt IN The direction OF
hns Is in thu
fact that within three weeks the number of
reports of births have risen over 100 week. and
stating that the h' Health Department cantsm-
plated action against doctors who Jailed to
make such reports.